The well-preserved surface and traces of paint provide an idea of what this head looked like when it was being used in worship. The abstracted treatment of the eyes and the intersecting plains defining forehead, eyebrows, and nose are stylistic features shared with imagery produced in north India during the Gupta period. The fact that this north Indian way of presenting the Buddha had penetrated into Afghanistan suggests a shared Buddhist tradition.

Provenance

[ Emil Trinkler , Bremen, Germany, excavated or purchased in Tibet or Turkestan during 1927–1928 Trinkler expedition; sold to Kleijkamp by 1930]; [ Jan Kleijkamp , New York, by 1930, sold to MMA]